Conventionally, there has been known a self-propelled electronic device that performs a job such as cleaning, while autonomously traveling on an indoor space or an outdoor space. The self-propelled electronic device may be provided with an obstacle sensor for detecting an obstacle such as a wall or furniture around the device while traveling, or a floor surface detection sensor for detecting a floor surface to prevent the self-propelled electronic device from falling down a cliff, a downward level difference, or the like.
When the self-propelled electronic device having the above-mentioned function of avoiding an obstacle or a downward level difference detects an obstacle or a downward level difference, it immediately performs an escaping operation in general.
For example, an escaping operation is generally performed such that, when detecting an obstacle ahead of the self-propelled electronic device while autonomously traveling around, the self-propelled electronic device moves backward by a predetermined distance, and when detecting a downward level difference on the rear of the device, the self-propelled electronic device moves forward by a predetermined distance.
Also, as a conventional self-propelled electronic device having a function of avoiding an obstacle, an invention of a self-propelled vacuum cleaner has been proposed which is provided with a collision detection unit that detects a movement of a main body as well as collision of the main body and an external detection unit that is mounted only on the front part of the main body for detecting a situation outside of the main body, wherein, when the collision detection unit detects collision of the main body, a control unit causes the main body to spin by means of a travel unit, detects the surrounding situation of the main body by means of the external detection unit, and corrects a travel course (for example, see Patent Document 1).
There has also been proposed an invention of a robot cleaner provided with a bumper, a protruding obstacle detection unit, and a control unit, wherein the control unit determines whether or not an obstacle is present in response to a signal from the protruding obstacle detection unit, and when an obstacle appears, the control unit changes the traveling direction of a robot main body so as to avoid the obstacle (for example, see Patent Document 2).